


Fever Pitch

by constantly_cold



Category: The Hobbit (2012)
Genre: Football | Soccer, M/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-10
Updated: 2014-08-20
Packaged: 2017-11-25 00:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/633101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constantly_cold/pseuds/constantly_cold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorin Oakenshield is the captain of the Gold-Diggers, last in their league and currently short a striker. He is at rock bottom. That is until Gandalf suggests a new player to their team.</p><p>Pretty much a Football/Soccer AU fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm posting this bit now. I do have more but I'm actually in the middle of a big move (Moving from Canada to the UK) I will see what kind of response this gets. I do have it all mapped out in my head. It sounds a bit silly but it's going to get good!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters... If I did we would certainly be getting more Middle-Earth movies.

Chapter One:

“Dain! Please don’t leave us. Give us one more season!”

“Listen Thorin, I’m sorry. I’m forty-three next month. I just can’t keep up with you young guns anymore. You will have to find another striker. I’m sorry.”

“I understand Dain, I really do. It’s just... Do you know how hard it is to find a striker that isn’t already playing for a club? All the good ones are taken.”

“I’m sorry Thorin” Thorin had to admit the man did sound sincere. “But I let you know at the end of last season that I wasn’t coming back.” He sighed. Dain was right. He did tell him months ago, but he had been saying he was retiring for years and he always came back. Thorin honestly thought he would return. This was a nightmare.

“No, you did. Sorry Dain, I thought I could convince you to have another go, but I understand why you don’t want to. You’re been a good mate!” Thorin quickly finished off the conversation and then hung up the phone.

“Dammit!” He swore. The season was just under three weeks away and now they were down a striker. He could always let Dori play fulltime this season, but Dori wasn’t necessarily good, at least not nearly good enough to play fulltime. He sighed. He would need to tell Gandalf. Gandalf would probably tell him they should have dealt with this at the end of last season. He would be right.

He quickly sent Gandalf a quick text asking him to meet him at the pitch. Thorin was the captain of the team, but Gandalf was the manager, normally all the decisions would go to the manager, but Gandalf was very lenient with his roles and often let Thorin do whatever he wanted. Unfortunately Thorin didn’t know of anyone he could ask to play striker, especially this late into the off season.

He did a couple laps around the pitch to help settle his nerves. Gandalf would no doubt be angry. Last season their team finished second last in the whole league. They had some good players, but they also had some bad ones. Personally Thorin thought their main weakness was their offense. They had good wingers in Fili and Kili, but both Dain and Bofur were pretty dismal strikers. Bofur was okay as a striker, but he was lazy and usually needed someone else to do the work for him. Dain was good when he was younger, but Thorin had to agree that Dain could hardly keep up anymore.

He had just finished his third lap when he saw Gandalf enter the pitch. The old man was wearing his usual pointed hat and was using his brown cane, his beard blowing in the wind. Thorin quickly ran over to him.

“Gandalf! Thanks for coming on such short notice!”

“Nonsense! What is it you need?” He said with a big smile. Thorin had always loved Gandalf. The old man was so affable. He had been nothing but nice to Thorin since he joined the team six years ago.  
“I just got off the phone with Dain.” He saw a slight rolling of the eyes from Gandalf. It was common knowledge he wasn’t a fan of Dain. “He’s not coming back this season. I just found out. We are currently out a striker now… I mean, I could always put Dori out fulltime but-“

“Nonsense! Dori is useless. We will be sure to finish last with him up there.” Gandalf interrupted.

“I know, but I don’t really have any options! I don’t know any other strikers out there that don’t already have clubs, at least none that are better than Dori.”

Gandalf seemed lost in thought for a moment. Thorin was used to this, Gandalf was always losing himself mid-conversation, but this was also when he came up with his best ideas. Suddenly Gandalf’s eyes snapped open.

“I know of a young chap that might be willing to play for us.” He seemed lost in thought for another moment. Thorin waited. “Yes, I shall invite him to tomorrow’s practice on a tryout basis.” A smile spread on Thorin’s face.

“Excellent, is he any good?” He asked.

He watched Gandalf’s face light up. “I think he’s very good. He played with my grandson when he was younger. I knew his mother for several years.” Thorin was impressed. Gandalf’s grandson played in the premier league. Anyone good enough to play with him when they were younger would be good enough for him.

“Excellent!”

“Now don’t go getting too excited. I have to convince him to play. Also he is a bit on the small size, but don’t judge him by that. He’s really good.” Thorin wanted to ask why he wasn’t already with a team, but he decided against it. He didn’t care much for size either. They had a big team, between himself and Dwalin in the middle.

“Okay. Make sure he gets here early, so I can talk to him beforehand.” He said.

“Of course. Don’t worry Thorin. I think Mr. Baggins will be a great addition to our team. He is as quick as they come and knows how to put the ball in the net… which is more than I can say about Dain.” It was now fairly evident that Gandalf didn’t like Dain. He didn’t really know why. Sure Dain was slower now but he still was really good in the air, and he was always quick to get a foot on loose balls.

“Alright, just make sure he’s here about ten minutes beforehand, and don’t tell him he has a spot on the team yet. I wanna see him first. For all I know he might not be any better than Dori.” Gandalf rolled his eyes again.

“He will be here ten minutes before eleven Thorin. I will be here as well. I will be damned if we finish second last this year!” Gandalf said as he trampled off with his cane. Thorin laughed. He really did like Gandalf, and he trusted his judgement. He looked at his watch again. He figured he could get a couple more laps in. Tomorrow would be an interesting day. The fact that this new striker played with Gandalf’s grandson was excellent, but that only made Thorin wonder why he didn’t already have a team, even if he wasn’t good enough for pro he probably would still be better than every player in this league. He sighed. He should probably text Balin and Gloin to let them know of the new developments. He could do that after. He took a swig of water before he ran off. Tomorrow would be interesting…  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

It was ten minutes before eleven. Thorin was waiting. The entire team was already at the pitch and doing a slight warm-up. No one seemed surprised that Dain had left, and they were all anxious to meet their new striker. Thorin had to remind them that he officially wasn’t on the team yet and not to treat him like a member until Thorin had made his decision.

The team was running and Thorin was setting up pylons for their first drill. He saw Gandalf walking up with a small man next to him. He did a double take. Small was an understatement. When Gandalf said their new player would be on the small side he had assumed he would be 5’7 or 5’8. This guy was smaller than 5’5 and couldn’t weigh more than eight stone. He was tiny. There was no way he would be able to play in their league.  
He walked over to them to shake their hands and introduce himself.

“Hi! I’m Thorin. I’m the captain of the team.” He said as he shook the small man’s hand.

“I’m Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf told me you were looking for a striker?” He gave the man another once over. He was small for sure, with big blue eyes and shaggy blonde hair. He also looked quite young. He was looking at Thorin like a lost puppy. 

“Uhhh, yes.” He looked to Gandalf. Surely he couldn’t be serious about this guy joining the team. He would no doubt be crushed before they even had their first game.

“Alright. I know it’s a tryout but did you just want me to join in with the rest of you?” Bilbo asked with a bright smile. He was clearly happy to have been given this opportunity. Thorin could now see the reason Bilbo Baggins didn’t have a club, and he was torn. The kid looked so happy just to be here, but at the same time there was no way he could play for them. A player his size would be targeted immediately and would no doubt be injured before the first game ended.

“Um. Listen Bilbo” He clasped a hand on the young man's shoulder. “I can tell your hearts in the right place, but I don’t think this would be a good fit.” He felt so awful saying it, but it was the truth. He saw the kid’s whole face fall. Bilbo dropped the bag that was hung over his shoulder to the ground in anger.

“Is this because of my height?!” He asked, clearly frustrated.

“Listen Bilbo-“

“No! You should at least let me try out. If you don’t think I’m good enough skill-wise to keep up with you than that’s fine, but don’t reject me simply because I’m a bit smaller than everyone else.” Thorin was going to mention that by a bit smaller he meant at least five inches, but decided against it. He looked into Bilbo’s face and could see the frustration of no one ever giving him a chance. Gandalf took this as a good time to open his mouth.

“Nonsense Bilbo. I shall be the one picking the team in the end. You go and get ready and warm up with the rest of the team while I have a word with Thorin.” Gandalf said as he patted Bilbo on the back. Bilbo smiled and picked up his bag and ran off to finish the run with the team. Thorin immediately turned to face Gandalf.

“Gandalf, I can’t take him. Look at him. He’s not going to be able to hold his own against the defenders in this league, especially not Azog!” The older man didn’t look convinced.

“I think Bilbo will surprise you. In fact he might even surprise himself. Trust me Thorin. I would not have invited the lad if I didn’t think he would be able to help the team.” Thorin had to admit that Gandalf had an eye for talent. He still didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of a player Bilbo’s size on his team.

“Well, I cannot guarantee that he won’t get hurt and not going to be responsible for anything that happens to him.” As long as he made that clear, he might be able to make it through the tryout.

“Understood. Now go out and work those boys hard. I want to make sure everyone’s been keeping in shape during the off-season, especially Bombur. Just because he’s keeper doesn’t mean he can lay off of fitness practice. Not this year!”

“Yes sir!” He responded as he left the side of the pitch to call the team in. There were thirteen members of the team. Fourteen if you included Bilbo. One of the reasons Thorin wanted a new player was so they could still keep on substitute player for each position. They didn’t have an extra keeper, but Bombur was steady and in the event of him getting injured, Oin would always go in goal.

He took in the team as they all came in. Bombur was the keeper. Bifur, Oin and Gloin were the defence. Dwalin played the center defence/stopper position. Balin and Thorin both played in the midfield while Kili and Fili both played on the wing. That left Bofur and for now, Bilbo as the strikers. Dori, Ori and Nori were their three subs. 

He looked over to Bilbo, besides his size disadvantage he also stood out as being the only player not wearing their team practice kit. The whole team was dressed in their plain white jerseys and shorts, with black socks. Bilbo was wearing a maroon colored shirt with blue socks. He gestured for Bilbo to come to the center with him.

“Alright guys. This is Bilbo Baggins. He is trying out for Dain’s old position” He heard a couple snickers come from the direction of Dwalin and Nori. He silenced them with a quick look. “Anyways, just be nice and welcoming okay?” He gave the team a dirty look. It’s not that they weren’t nice, but a lot of them were set in their own ways and didn’t like change.

“Now, I noted some of you suffering just trying to do a couple laps around the field. That’s going to stop alright? We play most Saturdays and Tuesdays. We have the field booked for Mondays, Friday's and Wednesdays and I want us all at the gym for Sundays and Thursday’s ok?” He heard a groan from most of the team.

“I don’t care. We might be able to lose that second fitness practice once we get going but I can tell you guys haven’t been working out in the off-season. That’s going to change if we want to have any chance not finishing in the bottom three this year.” He knew a seven day schedule was rough, but they all knew what they signed up for. They were one level below pro.

“Now for now I just want you guys to get some touches on the ball. Bombur you get in the net. I want Kili, Fili and Ori feeding the balls in from the wing. Bofur, I want you, Bilbo and Balin to try to score, while Oin, Gloin and Bifur defend ok? Dwalin you sub around each position with Dori. I’m going to watch for now. It’s easy enough,” The drill wasn’t really for the team as much as it was a chance for Thorin to observe Bilbo.

He quickly played the ball over to Kili and watched everyone run into the zone. Kili lobbed the ball in from about the eighteen-yard box. Thorin watched as the ball soared over Bofur’s head and managed to come down right at Bilbo’s feet. Bilbo didn’t even wait for the ball to touch the ground, he one-timed the ball straight into the lower right-hand corner of the net. Thorin stood in shock. It had to have been a lucky shot. Most times anyone shot the ball without taking the time to control it the ball ended up thirty feet over the net. Bilbo managed to control it right into the lower corner with one shot. Lucky shot indeed he thought as he watched Bilbo comment on the nice pass.

“Gloin! You have to make sure you get first to those balls. No way should he be beating you to that.” He called out. As much as it was an excellent shot by Bilbo, Gloin should have been more aggressive.

“Probably scared he’s gunna hurt the little guy.” He heard Dwalin say in his rough, Scottish brogue. 

“That’s not my problem. I don’t care if he hurts him. His job is to stop him.” Thorin responded before he played a new ball into Fili who was on the opposite wing. He watched as Fili lobbed the ball right in. his ball was not nearly as high a Kili’s and it managed to go directly to his target. Bilbo managed to chest the ball down. He managed to fake going to the left twice before he turned to the right. His move completely fooled Gloin who went in the complete opposite direction. Bilbo was then left alone and easily slipped the ball past Bombur, who was diving out to stop him. He jumped up as he scored.

“Dammit!’ Thorin swore. He had to admit it was a great move by Bilbo, especially in such little space, but Gloin should have been better.

“He’s too timid. Dwalin go in for Gloin and please don’t be afraid to touch the guy.”

“Aye, sir.” Dwalin said as he quickly made his way over to where Gloin was.

“Gloin, you’ve got to do better than that. That’s a weak effort. Go do two laps!” Gloin looked slightly annoyed but he did as he was told.

Thorin passed the ball back to Kili’s side again. He watched as Kili kicked it in. This time Bofur managed to get a head on it, but it soared way over the net. He clapped anyways.

“Good effort guys. Nice pass Kili, way to get to it Bofur!” He called before he passed the ball over to Fili. This time Fili’s ball was over Bilbo’s head. Dwalin managed to head the ball clear of the box.

“Good job Dwalin. Way to be aggressive there.” He didn’t mention that the only reason he got to that ball first was because of his size advantage. Dwalin (along with himself) were the tallest players on the team.  
He passed it back over to Kili this time. Kili lobbed the ball over Oin and Bofur’s heads and once again it connected with Bilbo’s left boot as he drilled it in the bottom corner. It was almost exactly the same play as before. He didn’t understand how Bilbo could get there so fast. Dwalin was their best defender. He hated to call him out, but he could see Gloin returning from his two laps, he couldn't play favourites.

“Come on Dwalin, drink one too many during the off-season? No way should he be beating you to that. Bombur, you have to be more aggressive on those too. Help out your defense a bit.” Dwalin looked pissed but Bombur nodded in reply.

“Let’s see a good ball in Fili” He said was he passed it over. Fili’s ball was not a good ball in Thorin’s opinion. His pass was on the ground and went right to Bilbo’s feet. Bilbo pivoted and was about to turn to the right when Dwalin noticed what he was doing and sprang forward, effectively bowling over the undersized striker whilst getting the ball. Bilbo fell hard to the ground and Thorin was sure he had broken a bone in his frail body. He quickly ran forward to make sure Bilbo was okay.

To his surprise as he got closer he could hear laughter coming from the ground. Bilbo was laughing.

“It’s about time someone actually touched me.” He said as he slowly eased himself up. “I thought I’d go the whole practice kicking the ball in the net. I’m not going to break.” He said with a quiet laugh.

“You sure you’re alright?” Thorin asked.

“Yes. I’m fine. If I was 6’2 and fell after a hit like that you would be laughing and telling me to get off my arse. Football is a contact sport. I can handle it.” He said with a bright smile.

Thorin couldn’t help but smile back. The kid’s smile was infectious. “Well then. Next time, don’t be so cute with the ball. Fili was open for you to pass back to. Next time use him.”

“Yes sir.”

After that the practice went quite well. Thorin could tell Bilbo was very skilled. He was by far the best player on the pitch (including Thorin himself). He was not intimidated by bigger players at all. In fact he was utterly fearless when it came to challenging for balls. Once or twice he had to call him back for challenging poor Bombur too hard. It was only a practice after all. With about ten minutes left he saw Gandalf slowly making his way out onto the pitch. Thorin rolled his eyes. Gandalf was probably here to rub it in. He walked over to meet him half way.

“Are you here to tell me you told me so?” He asked with a smile on his face to show Gandalf he wasn’t serious

“Me? No. I told you before, it was my decision anyways. If I said Bilbo Baggins was our striker, then our striker he is. It was you who doubted him.” Gandalf replied.

“Well, I daresay he looks more like a grocer than a football player.” Thorin joked.

“And that’s precisely why no one else wants him on their team. You’ve seen past that and can see he is clearly one of the best players in this league.” Thorin had to admit he felt bad for Bilbo. He was clearly very skilled, yet everyone assumed he was no good just because of his size. He remembered how excited he looked at the beginning of practice.

“Well that’s their problem. Seriously, Gandalf, with Bilbo up front I really think we can go far this year. We’ve got a strong defense, and now we’ve got a star striker! Seriously, I don’t know where you found the kid but why you didn’t bring him sooner?.”

“You would not have listened Thorin. Not with that old fart Dain playing. Besides, it matters not, now. Here.” He placed a bag that obviously must have held Bilbo’s team kits in Thorin’s hand. “Be a good lad and tell Bilbo you were wrong for doubting him, and that he is now a part of the Gold-Diggers.” Thorin smiled.

“Yes sir!” He said as he backed away from Gandalf and ran back to observe the drill the boys were doing. He saw Kili sitting out this round and he asked him to cover for Bilbo. A couple minutes later he saw the small, sweat soaked striker walking to him.

“Thorin?” He asked. The poor kid looked so nervous. It was a sin. Obviously he was the best player out there, yet he was still worried whether or not he made the team.

“Yes, Bilbo. I’m sorry about earlier…” Thorin hated admitting he was wrong. If he had any faults, he knew it was his pride. He could see Bilbo’s face light up. “I should never have doubted you. I thought you would be weak and easily intimidated but, I’ve never been so wrong in my life. Welcome to the Gold-Diggers!” He said as he brought the bag with Bilbo’s kits forward.  
To his complete surprise Bilbo ignored the bag and suddenly Thorin felt himself engulfed in a huge hug. Bilbo had practically jumped on him.

“Oh thank you so much! I won’t let you down. I promise” He heard Bilbo cry.

“Good.” He said as he eased Bilbo back so he could look to his face. “I’m going to put you as our number one striker. You will be playing with Bofur most of the time so it might be good to get to know him a bit. Just because you are starting out as our number one guy doesn’t mean you will stay there. You gotta work hard to keep yourself there alright?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Ok, so in the bag is our game schedule. Like I said it’s mostly Saturday’s and Tuesday’s, except for the odd away game. I expect to see you at all practices, especially the fitness ones.” Bilbo looked surprised. Thorin smiled. “You might be able to outrun everyone on this team but you’re not going to get far in this league at eight stone.”

“I’m more than eight stone! I’m stronger than I look!” Bilbo said, trying to defend himself.

“Good, you can show me at the gym tomorrow.” Thorin said with another smile. “Now, get back out there, tell Bofur I need to talk to him.”

He watched as Bilbo ran back to the team and joined in with the game of “Chip it” they were playing. He sighed as he watched him. He couldn’t get over how much his opinion of the young striker had changed in the past two hours. Going into this first practice he was convinced they would leave without a striker, and then Dori would be playing full-time. They would probably finish near the bottom of the league again. With Bilbo it seemed they had a chance, finally a striker who seemed to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. Looking at his other teammates it looked like they liked Bilbo just as much. He almost laughed as he saw Bofur running towards him. Perhaps this season won’t be as bad as he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! The whole moving to a foreign country without a place to live or a job thing has kinda kept me a bit busy... On the plus side, I should be updating more frequently now.
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own. If I did, there would be more Middle-Earth movies.
> 
> Another note... I'm not very clear on what kind of league this is set in. It's pretty much my own make belief league. It's not professional soccer, but it's only like one tier below. So it's pretty serious and lots of people watch the games and stuff.

Three weeks later and Thorin wished he could take back his thoughts about the team being much improved with Bilbo. While it was great to finally have a striker who could put the ball in the back of the net, it wasn’t going to help if their defence wasn’t strong.

“Gloin! You’ve got to be first to those balls! Smaug will run right by you if you can’t keep up!” He knew he was being harsh, but Gloin was one of their better defenders. He had to be at his best. “Go do two more laps.” He caught Gloin’s long face. “And you’re going to be running the whole time at fitness practice tomorrow.”

“Sorry man. It’s just the little one at home. He’s keeping me up day and night! I hardly had time for daily runs throughout the off-season.” He complained.

“No excuses! Make it three laps!” He ignored Gloin’s parting comment as he ran off. He knew he was being really harsh, but he really wanted to push them farther. He was sick of finishing near the bottom of the league.

“Bilbo, you gotta be more aware of where you are on the pitch. You’re lucky Gloin was slow to react. Any other defender in the league and you might run right into him. I don’t want to see you get hurt or take a foul.” He neglected to mention that they really couldn’t afford to see him go down. He was the only one who seemed to be able to score. He initially thought Bofur would benefit from playing with a talented striker, but so far he could barely hit the net. Even Kili and Fili have had trouble putting the ball in the back of the net. He wasn’t too concerned with the brothers though, they both had a history of being a bit streaky, besides, it was only practice. The real games start in two days.

He watched as Bilbo slowly nodded while not making eye contact. The poor kid looked like he was going to cry. He had his head down and Thorin suddenly felt terrible. There was something about Bilbo that got to him. He hated to criticize him, the look on his face always made Thorin feel like he had been punched in the gut. None of the other players made him feel like that, not even the younger ones like Kili or Fili (although since they were his cousin’s maybe that made them different). Bilbo had such an expressive face. It was easy to tell what he was feeling.

“Alright, everyone do one lap and then take a water break. We are going to work on corner kicks after this so be ready to get into the proper formation.” He watched as everyone slowly walked to the edge of the field to begin their lap. Maybe he was pushing them a little hard. He watched the group run as he slowly picked up the pylons from their recent drill.

He noted that Balin was in the back of the group and struggling to keep up. Balin was one of Thorin’s oldest friends. He had joined that team only at Thorin’s request. He was also the oldest member of the team and it was obvious he didn’t have the endurance of some of the younger players, but Thorin thought that he still proved his worth. He was a great veteran presence and he was always helping the younger players with some foot work. He may not physically be able to keep up, but he was still one of the best ball handlers on the team.

While Balin was at the back of the group he noted that Bilbo was in the front. He seemed to be pushing himself to be the first one to finish their lap. It wasn’t a race at all, but Thorin suspected that Bilbo was still trying to prove his worth to him. He didn’t know why, he had already told him he had a spot of the team. He stopped to watch Bilbo run.

The kid was incredibly light on his feet and seemed to be able to run forever. That was really good since Thorin had no intentions of taking him off during the games, which meant he would have to play the full 90 minutes. He was still concerned with Bilbo’s size. He had tried to bring it up with him while they were at a fitness practice the other day. Obviously Bilbo couldn’t do anything about his height, but Thorin thought he could at least work out a bit to gain a bit more mass. He was genuinely concerned that the kid would get hurt. Bilbo had just scoffed at him and spent the entire practice on the treadmill. Oddly enough, Thorin didn’t question him or force him to lift weights. He was completely okay with watching him run. Not that he watched him run the whole time. He had his own workout to do, but he couldn’t help but glance over every few minutes to watch. If anyone else scoffed at him like that they would be doing nothing but bench presses for a week.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him. Bilbo seemed to bring out a whole new side of him. He didn’t know why he felt this way for a guy he barely known for a month. Bilbo should be like any other member of the team, except he wasn’t. He shook his head in confusion. Whatever it was, he was going to have to figure it out before their first game. He didn’t need any distractions this year.

* * *

_Another grueling practice done,_ Bilbo thought as he stretched out his arm. As physically taxing as these practices were he was finally beginning to get back into the hang of it. It’s been over a year since he actually played competitively, he didn’t realize how much he missed it.

“Excited for your big debut there, Bilbo?” He heard Bofur say as he felt an arm wrap around his neck from behind. He laughed and managed to squirm his way out of the older man’s hold.

“Yes! Excited and ready to start!” He was still a bit nervous talking to his new team. Everyone was really nice, especially Bofur, who seemed to make it his mission to help Bilbo fit in. Still though, he couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous, especially when Thorin was involved.

“You’ll do fine! I’m thinking you will score at least four! Maybe five!” He laughed at that too. He had to admit he was a bit worried with all the expectation everyone was placing on him. Ever since his first practice everyone had acted as though he was the savior of the team and they were suddenly were going to be competing for first place. While he would admit he thought the team was good, he was very aware that they have been finishing around last place every year.

“Maybe, we will see how many posts you hit. How many was it today?” He asked. Bofur seemed to have a talent for hitting the post.

“Hey! That’s a low blow. You just wait. I’m saving it all for the real games.” Bofur responded.

“What was your record last year Bofur? Was it three or four posts in one game?” he heard Fili ask Bofur immediately abandoned Bilbo and went to attack Fili. It was all in good fun. Of course attacking Fili was only asking for trouble, because then his younger brother would always jump in. It wasn’t long before Kili had jumped into the little play fight going on. Soon enough everyone was involved, those who weren’t fighting we yelling and cursing. It was like a jungle.

If there was one thing that Bilbo had learned about his new team, it was that they were very close. A lot of them have been playing football together for a long time. There were almost no personal boundaries with them. Bilbo noticed that after the first practice when they had all ran into the dressing rooms and started stripping out of their sweat soaked uniforms. He was almost appalled. Bilbo himself was very modest and private, even on the other teams he played on in his youth he was never one to strip in front of everyone. He felt very awkward as he made his way over to the private changing rooms. No one seemed to mind.

The play-fighting immediately stopped as Thorin made his way into the room. If was like a gun went off in the room as everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to the center of the room where Thorin stood. It was easy to tell why Thorin was the captain of the team. He just had a regal authority about him, everything about him screamed leadership. Bilbo had to admit he even looked the part. He was the definition of tall, dark and handsome. He was over six feet tall and broad shouldered. He had dark hair, dark eyes and had a constant five o’clock shadow that somehow made him look mysterious. He was quite a sight. He probably had girls fawning at his feet after each game.

“Enough playing around guys! Hear me out for a few minutes,” That was all it took for everyone to settle down at their own stall and listen.

“Good practice today guys. I think we will be really dangerous from set plays this year.” They had spent the entire practice working on set plays. Bilbo thought almost every potential play was drilled into his brain.

“Oin, make sure you ice that ankle of yours. We need you at 100 percent for the game this week. Our first game is against The Eagles on Saturday. They finished around the middle last year.” He paused to make sure everyone was listening. “We _are_ better than these guys ok? It’s easily a winnable game. They’ve got a good enough offense but their defense is slow and weak. We have a brand new striker who they won’t know about,” Bilbo then found everyone’s eyes on him. It made him slightly uncomfortable. “Let’s make sure we use him okay?”

He heard the team roar in approval. This was just making him more and more nervous. On his previous teams he had never been the one counted on to be the leading scorer. In fact, he didn’t even get to start the games. He usually came on as a sub and was lucky to see more than ten minutes a game.

“Alright! Now I need to talk to Gandalf about the starting line-up.” He paused for a moment, his face growing more serious. “Gandalf wants me to let you guys have the day off tomorrow. He wants to give you guys a break. You know what I think?” No, Bilbo didn’t want to know what he thought. They have been practicing in some form every day for the past three weeks. The prospect of a day off was almost too good to be true. He really just wanted to put his feet up and read a book.

 “I think he’s wrong. I think you guys are still slow and unfit. If our defense is anything like it was today then I think The Eagles are going to run circles around us!” To say that was a bit harsh was an understatement. “It doesn’t matter if we have a new striker, because we are never going to get the ball up to him if our defense is crap!” Thorin was fuming now. Bilbo had no idea what had gotten into him. He seemed fine at practice ten minutes ago. “Anyways, that’s what I think. I’m going to be at the gym tomorrow, but it’s not mandatory. I don’t expect to see you lot there.” With that Thorin stormed off to Gandalf office (or so Bilbo assumed) he was still clad in his practice kit. The room was utterly silent when he left.

“Who stuck a horse up his arse?” He joked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

“Oh, Thorin has good reason to be angry at this time of year laddie.” He heard Balin say.

“Why’s that?” He was generally curious about their team captain.

“You really don’t know anything of his history?” He saw the whole team look to him now. He had no idea what Thorin’s history was. All he knew was that he had been playing with the Gold-Diggers for several years.

“No, not really. I know he’s been with this team for a while, but that’s about it.” He was being honest.  
  
“Well do you know he used to play for The Dragons?”

“What? No.” That was a shock. The Dragons were by far the best team in the league. They’ve finished in first place for the past several years. Thorin _hates_ them! He had no idea he played with them. “I… I thought he hated them?”

“Oh he does. For good reasons too.” Balin said as he leaned back to take his shin-guards off.

“He started off in this league playing with them, many years ago. He was their star. If you think they are good now you should have seen them with Thorin in the middle. They were unstoppable. No one wanted to play against them, especially with Azog in the back end.”  
  
“Who is Azog? I keep hearing you guys mention him, but I don’t know who he is.” He asked.

“Seriously? You don’t know who _Azog the Defiler_ is?” He heard Kili ask. _Azog the Defiler_ sure sounded like a bad guy. He didn’t know if he _wanted_ to know the rest. He slowly shook his head.

“Oh, he’s only about the biggest and dirtiest defender in the league.” Fili said.

“He’s gotta be at least 6’8, he’s built like a wrestler. He’s pale as the moon and some say he’s even got fangs for teeth!” Kili added.

“Fangs for teeth? You can’t be serious?”

“Okay, maybe not fangs, but their sharp as hell. His face is all scarred too. Some say it’s from bar fights, but there are rumors he did it to himself.” They had to be joking now.

“What? Does this guy even exist?” Surely this was just Fili and Kili playing him.

“Oh he exists laddie. Despite all the rumors and whatnot.” He was pretty sure it was Dwalin who said that.

“Why is he called _The Defiler_?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

“Like they said. He’s the dirtiest player in the league. Not two games go by without him hurting a player. He’s actually a good defender, but he’s dirty.”

“Why’s he still in this league then? Why hasn’t he got kicked out?”

“Quite frankly, the refs are scared of him. He can be quite the intimidating figure.”

“So what? He just gets away with everything?” This was ridicules.

“Well he sometimes gets called, but he’s never carded. He gets so angry whenever the ref does call him. He usually calls the ref stupid and threatens him. Claims the only reason the other guy fell was because of his size-advantage. Trust me Bilbo. The boys weren’t exaggerating when they said he was at least 6’8.” Bilbo gulped. There was no way he was going to be able to play against someone like Azog. He could literally feel the colour drain from his face. He was beginning to feel a bit faint.

“What’s a matter buddy? I’m sure you will be able to elude him.” Bofur said as he clapped him on the back. He shook his head. No. There was no way he would be able to compete against Azog.

“Enough about Azog, the poor kid looks like he’s about to faint. You alright laddie?” He was pretty sure that was Balin who asked the question. He couldn’t see. He realized he had shut his eyes. He just nodded his head in approval. He would be fine once he got the image of a huge, pale giant out of his head.

“Yes, Thorin used to play with Azog, but he was never happy there. The team was too cocky. They would play pranks on the other teams after games. If you managed to score a goal against them, chances are your car tires would be slit after the game.” Balin continued.

“Thorin did that?” He asked. He didn’t think Thorin would be one to tolerate stuff like that. Heck, if you showed up more than a minute late for practice you would be running laps the whole time.

“No. He hated it. He was the captain of the team, but no one listened to him. It was things like this that created a rift between him and the others, especially Azog.”

“What happened between them?”

“It all came to a halt seven seasons ago. Thorin was captain of the team and they looked to be on their way to their fifth straight championship. It was the finals and they were playing The Wizards.” Bilbo nodded. He had heard of the Wizards. They were one of the other top teams in the league.

“The game was pretty close. The Wizards are a great time. Anyways, the game was tied at 2-2 at the end of the game. It went into overtime and still no one managed to score. After that it was time for penalty kicks.” Balin paused for a moment. Bilbo noticed that everyone had gone silent. The whole team was listening to Balin tell the story.

“The shootout got to the fifth players. The Wizards scored on their shot. Thorin was up next. He needed to score to keep the game alive. Everyone was watching, the fans, the scouts _everyone_. It was one of the most intense moments of my life and I wasn’t even playing.” Bilbo could picture it in his head, Thorin getting ready to take a penalty, the crowd roaring. It was moments like this that he lived for.

“What happened?” He asked, urging Balin to continue the tale.

“His kick went at least five feet over the net, maybe more. The Wizards won the championship.”

“Oh.” There wasn’t much else he could say to that.

“Thorin was blamed for the team’s loss. He was kicked off the team not two days later.” Balin finished.

“What? Just because he missed the kick? The whole team lost it! Not just him...” That was really unfair. It’s a team sport. The whole team should be responsible for the loss, not just Thorin.

“Yes, it was the team’s first loss in four years. Thorin was the captain, and he missed the shot. I mean, it wasn’t like the keeper saved his shot. He missed the net by at least five feet. In their opinion, he shanked it.” Bilbo was shocked. He thought that was totally unfair. “Azog was made captain, and they’ve won every game since.”

“So Azog the Defiler is the captain of The Dragons?” He asked.

“Yeah, and now they are the dirtiest team out there.” Fili answered.

“What did Thorin do after that?” He asked.

“Well, obviously he was upset about what happened, but he wasn’t upset to leave The Dragons. Like I said, he hated them. Turns out his father used to be friends with Gandalf and when Gandalf heard about what happened he offered him a spot on his team. It was third division, not quite the top tier he was used to, but he took the spot. That was seven years ago. Over the years he’s recruited all of us to play for him. I think Dain was the only original player of the Gold-Diggers and he retired after last season. Over the years we’ve move from the bottom of the third division all the way up to the top division. We’ve been here a couple years, but we’ve been finishing near the bottom. If we finish near the bottom this year then we will probably be moved down to the second division again.”

“Wow, so Thorin pretty much made this team what it is?” He probed, wanting more information.

“Pretty much, laddie. I mean he runs a pretty tight ship. He might seem like an arse, but he knows what he’s doing. He’s grown up around football. It’s all he knows. He’s a great leader. You will see what I mean once you get to know him more. There’s not a man on this team who wouldn’t do anything for him. Right lads?”

“Aye!” He heard from Bofur. “You will see what we mean once we win our first game!” He ruffled Bilbo’s hair a little. An act he was becoming more and more used to. “You might not have seen from the practices, since he runs them, but he’s an excellent midfielder, probably one of the better players in the league. Just don’t ask him to take a penalty kick.” He added.

“Why? Does he not take them anymore?” That surprised Bilbo. He would have figured a guy like Thorin would have easily got over missing the big kick.

“No, Thorin hasn’t taken a kick since that day with The Dragons. Not even when we got in that shootout two years ago. He refuses, and really… can you blame him? Taking penalties isn’t for everyone. It doesn’t make him any less of a player.” Now that he thought about it. He didn’t recall Thorin taking any penalty kicks at practice today. It was decided that rather he or Balin would take the kick if they had the opportunity. Come to think of it, Thorin didn’t take any offensive free kicks either. Those belonged to Kili or Fili.

“That’s enough of a history lesson, lads! Let’s talk about something important. Like, where are we going to eat tonight?” Bombur was quick to change the subject when it was clear everyone was done talking. Bilbo took this as an opportunity to quietly make his way to the private changing rooms. He couldn’t help but wonder if Thorin would be coming back soon. He normally ran out to Gandalf’s office after practice. He never returned before Bilbo left, but Bilbo wanted to talk to him. He never really got a chance to at practice, and anytime that the team went out he was usually talking to Dwalin or Balin. He could never really catch him alone. His mind drifted back to what Thorin said about the gym tomorrow. Bilbo was pretty sure that none of the other guys were going to go. As much as he was looking forward to a day off tomorrow, he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to talk to Thorin, especially if they were alone.

He quickly turned the shower on and striped out of his practice kit. He let the hot water spray over his neck and shoulders. His body was so sore, but it felt good to be this active again. He really liked the team. They were all pretty accepting of him taking Dain’s place. He was so happy. For once in his life he had a chance to be a starter. He never got to start on his previous teams, most likely do to his size, even though he was usually better than the players starting. He was grateful that Thorin was about to see past that. He knew he was a good player, but no one ever gave him a good chance. He was sick of playing in the little beer leagues. He was so much better than everyone playing. He just wished he could get a better read on Thorin. It was decided then. He would go to the gym tomorrow. He wouldn’t push himself or work out too hard, but he wanted some alone time with Thorin and this seemed to be the best way to get it.

* * *

As it turns out, going to the gym when he knew Thorin would be the only one there didn’t turn out to be a good idea. It was their team’s personal gym, so the only ones allowed in were members of their team. And since everyone made it clear they weren’t going to be there, that left Thorin and Bilbo as the only ones, and quite frankly, it was very awkward. As quietly as he could he sauntered his way into the changing rooms.

“Bilbo! Glad to see you could make it!” Thorin greeted him at the doors. It was exactly two minutes past their eleven o’clock start. He was already dressed in his workout clothes.

“Yeah. I see no one else showed?” He asked even though he already knew the answer.

“Nope. I figured as much since Gandalf gave them the day off. He is the boss after all. Still, I hoped more would show.” That was the most Thorin had spoken to him since their first meeting.

“Yeah well, Gandalf might be the boss, but you’re the one we have to listen to on the field, so that’s why I showed.” He said with a shrug. It wasn’t entirely untrue.

“Yeah, I could tell they weren’t going to come, though. Those guys will do anything for a lazy day.” He placed his hand on Bilbo’s shoulder to stop him from lacing up his trainers. “You can take the day off Bilbo. I’m not going to make you work out when no one else is.”

“You are.”

“Yeah, but I’m the captain. I have to set a good example.”

“And you are. That’s why I’m here” He said as he continued putting on his trainers. He tried to ignore Thorin’s eyes on him. He knew the man was judging him.

“Ok then. You just going to do cardio the whole time?” Thorin asked. Bilbo just shook his head and started tightening his laces.

“Yep.” He didn’t understand Thorin’s obsession with having him properly work out. It wasn’t his game. His game relied on him being lithe and quick. He occasionally used the bike just to change his routine, but he was content to run the whole time. Besides, it was almost impossible to him to put on weight. If Thorin saw how much he ate, he would realize that.

“Listen Bilbo-“

“I’m not going to change my routine Thorin. It’s been working well for me so far. If I get hurt after the first game then yeah, I will change it.” With that he stood up and quickly made his way to the treadmills. He spared a quick glance to see if Thorin was following him. He wasn’t. He was making his way over to where the punching bags were. Great… Thorin was going to go all macho on him. This was not going anything like how he had planned it. He took a deep breathe to calm himself before he fished his IPod out of his pocket and quickly plugged his buds in. He didn’t need to listen to the sound of Thorin repeatedly hitting the bag. He would just listen to his music. He slowly worked himself up to a warm-up place, trying his hardest to not even glance over to where Thorin was.

It was over an hour later that his IPod decided to remind him he didn’t charge it the night before. It suddenly shut itself off and Bilbo was brought out of his running trance. He loved running, especially when he had music to listen to, he always found himself getting lost to the music. He could run for hours without realizing it. He slowly worked himself down to a cool-down pace. His legs were sore. He probably should have taken the day off. Running wasn’t a chore for him, but his body probably would have benefited from the rest. When he was down his cool-down he ran his hand across his face to wipe off the sweat.

Damn he was hot! As much as he loved running, he hated the aftermath, feeling hot and sticky with sweat. He ran a hand under his shirt to stop it from sticking to his body. He wondered if Thorin would be ok with him leaving early. Normally they worked out for an hour and a half. He still had about twenty minutes left, but considering Thorin said he didn’t have to bother today maybe he would be okay with Bilbo leaving early. He turned around to see where Thorin was and he instantly regretted it.

Thorin was defiantly still there. He was currently working out on some arm/shoulder machine. What surprised Bilbo was that he had discarded his shirt at some point during his routine. He didn’t know why it surprised him. It always got hot and he was used to seeing everyone shirtless, but he had never seen Thorin without a shirt on.

He was quite a sight. He was broad shouldered and had a lean and compact build. He honestly looked like something out of a magazine. His chest was well defined with muscle and was covered with the perfect amount of dark hair that formed into a trail along his flat stomach and ended at the hem of his shorts. Bilbo could see the muscles in his arms move with whatever exercise he was doing. He looked like a God.

“Like what you see?” Thorin asked, a smirk forming on his face.

Bilbo immediately felt his face go red. He had been caught staring. How embarrassing. It wasn’t as though he had never seen shirtless men before. Heck! He had seen most of the team naked after every practice. None of them came close to Thorin’s physique (except for maybe Dwalin). Looking down at his own body he couldn’t help but feel small and slight.

“Um no. Sorry. I was uhhh just looking at the uhh machine you were… umm… using.” God he sounded like a twelve year old girl. He hoped he didn’t sound as pathetic as he thought.

“Oh? Did you want to try it out?” Thorin asked as he quickly extracted himself from the machine.

“Oh no. You can… carry on with what you were doing. I’m just going to…. Ummm” Think! He couldn’t just leave right now. Thorin would think he was a little girl with a little crush. His eyes glanced over every machine in the gym. He didn’t know how to work any of them except the arm ones and he couldn’t use those because that would bring him too close to Thorin. “I’m just going to use that machine over there” He pointed to the most random machine in the gym. It would give him enough distance from Thorin though. Then he could quietly make his way out. “You can just… carry on.” He quickly grabbed his water and walked as fast as he could to the machine, trying to resist the urge to look back.

Once he reached the machine he looked at it dumbstruck. He had no idea how to use this. It was some form of a abdominal machine. There was a tiny illustration showing him what he should look like when he did it. It didn’t seem too complicated. With one last look at the picture he settled himself into the supine position it showed. He was so invested in getting into the right position he didn’t hear Thorin creep up behind him.

“You’re doing it wrong.” He was so shocked to hear his voice his instantly shot up and smashed his head into one of the medal bars.

“Ouch!!” He instantly brought his hand up to rub the sore spot.

“Careful! I said you were doing it wrong. Here” He felt a large hand on his chest. Gently pushing him down so he was laying down again. He never noticed how big Thorin’s hands were, or maybe his chest was just small. Maybe it was a bit of both. He decided to concentrate on that instead of Thorin’s naked chest which was directly in his field of vision.

“First off you have to adjust the seat to your size. I’m pretty sure Dwalin was the last one to use this, so it’s going to be way too big for you.” He watched as Thorin bent over him to reach the seat handle. He twisted it a couple times and Bilbo could feel himself being lowered. He marveled at home much more comfortable his position was now.

“Oh? Yes. Ha. Knew I was forgetting something” he managed to bumble out.

Thorin just seemed to ignore him as he reached over Bilbo once more to adjust something else. He noted that Thorin’s hand was still resting across his chest.

“Then you have to adjust the weights. Like I said Dwalin was the last one to use it. He’s going to be able to lift a lot more than you, so just set the weight to something low, and if you feel it’s too easy you can adjust it after alright?”

He just nodded his head. He felt like an idiot.

“Now, all you need to do is lift your chest up as if you’re doing a sit-up. Make sure your chest is square with the pad and try to lift, if it’s too easy to lift than just change the weight okay?” Bilbo just nodded. He was honestly too embarrassed to say anything else.

“Alright, now let’s see you try!” His eyes widened in horror. Great. Now Thorin was going to be watching him. There was no way he could mess this up. It shouldn’t be too hard. He was used to doing sit-ups at practice. Having a form of resistance shouldn’t be too hard.

He was actually surprised at how easy it was. It didn’t feel any different from doing a normal sit-up. He then realized it was probably because Thorin thought he was weak and set the weight on its lowest setting. He was pretty sure a ten year old girl could do what he just did.

“Good job! Did you feel the muscles at all? You’re supposed to feel it here” He then gestured to his own stomach muscles. Bilbo was forced to stare at Thorin’s well-defined six-pack as he explained which muscles this machine was supposed to use. He tried not to look directly at the dark patch of hair that lead under Thorin's shorts.

“Yeah I umm… Think I’m going to try it on a higher setting. I’m pretty sure a little girl could do what I just did there.” He made a nervous laugh as he bent over to adjust the weights a bit. When he was satisfied he turned around to see Thorin still there.

“Okay” he said as he started the exercise once more. It was defiantly harder this time around. He thought he heard Thorin say something about doing it ten times. He got to about eight before he felt like he was going to die. His stomach was on fire and he felt like he was about to puke. He opened his eyes (which he didn’t even know he had closed) to see Thorin cheering him on, throwing out encouraging phrases. He only had two left but suddenly they seemed easier with Thorin encouraging him from the side.

As soon as he finished he curled up in a little ball, for some reason it was the most comfortable position for him. He rubbed his hands across his burning stomach muscles. He was aware that Thorin was standing over him and talking to him, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying. He was too busy trying to breathe.

Once he got his breathing under control he felt Thorin’s hands on his shoulders as he carefully forced Bilbo to uncurl himself. Once he was free Bilbo noticed that Thorin had a big smile on his face. It was the first time he had ever seen the man without a frown on his face. It made him look years younger and if possible, more handsome.

“Good job Bilbo! Before you know if you will have abs of steel!” He said as his patted Bilbo’s stomach. Bilbo once again had to wonder if Thorin’s hands were that big, or was he really that small?

“Hmmm I doubt I will be doing that again. Going to stick to running I think!” He managed to force out a laugh.

“Oh no! I’m giving you a break tomorrow because of our game, but next fitness practice I want you doing two reps on this machine. Only this one for now. You can run the rest of the time, but will you at least do two reps here for me?” Thorin was still smiling, and Bilbo thought there was no way he could say no. A couple stomach exercises wouldn’t hurt him. He had a runner’s build and he doubted he would be able to put on any actual muscle, but if it made Thorin smile at him like that, then it might just be worth it.

“Fine then, but only this machine!”

“Only this one. I promise.” Thorin smiled once again.

“Okay…” Once again he tried not to look at Thorin’s naked chest in front of him, but he really didn’t have anywhere else to look from his position. “Abs of steel you say?”

“Yes! I’m sure I can work something out with you” He jokingly said as he poked Bilbo in the side once more. Once again Bilbo felt his entire face flush. He hoped Thorin only thought it was excursion from the exercise and not embarrassment.

He quickly extricated himself from the machine. A quick glance at his watch showed the workout was almost over.

“I’m going to to stretch and then take off… Um… are you going to finish or?” He didn’t even know what he was asking.

“Oh. No. I have to finish off my routine. I guess I will see you tomorrow then?”

He shook his head in approval. “Yep! Big game. Don’t worry. I think we will pull it off. First game of the year and all, but I think we’ve got a good team!” He hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

“Yeah. Don’t let nerves get to you though. I remember by first game. You’re really good Bilbo, too good to let little things like nerves get to you. Just remember to keep your head up alright?”

“Yeah. Sure. I will see you tomorrow then.” After a quick nod he made his way back to the dressing rooms to stretch. He couldn’t do it with Thorin watching him. He had no idea what came over him back there. He had seen plenty of men naked before. Thorin wasn’t even naked, he was just shirtless. Normally it didn’t bother him. He wasn’t one to take his own clothes off in public, but after three weeks with The Gold-Diggers he was used to seeing others. Thorin was just so impressive.

He was embarrassed to look down and see himself begin to get hard. _Dammit!_ This was the last thing he needed before the season started. He didn’t have a crush on Thorin. It couldn’t be that. He was straight. Maybe there was nothing wrong with getting hard at the site of your captain. I mean, Thorin was pretty cut. It’s just a natural reaction. Whatever it was, he was going to have to get it sorted… and soon!

 


	3. A/N and some gameplay rules!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. Sorry for waiting over a year to update. This is not a chapter but the next chapter is coming soon and this is just a brief summary of the rules of the sport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I don't even have a good excuse as to why I haven't updated in over a year. I really hate giving up on stories and I told myself never to do it since I know how it feels as the reader to never get an update again. I go really stressed with how I was going to write the gameplay and then real life happened. I understand if you don't want to read it now, but I'm 100% committed to finishing this story. I've been working on the next chapter for a few weeks and finally finished it and I've already started chapter four! So once again, I'm sorry for the wait but I will be posting the new chapter tomorrow or the next day.

Okay, so since the next chapter will have a bit of game play in it I decided to have a mini-chapter to just go over some of the rules and positions so those of you who are not too familiar with the sport and its rules.

I'm no expert at the sport. I've played it all my life, but I still don't know everything there is to know about it. Also… I'm a keeper… I used to play striker when I was younger, but from age 12 on I played goalie/keeper so I'm not 110% sure on everyone's jobs and such, but this is just basic information to help you understand the game a bit more. I'm sure there are videos on youtube that explain it better.

You play two 45 minute halves. There is no stop time, which means when the ball goes out they don't stop the clock. At the end of the 45 minutes the ref decides how much time he wants to add based off how many times the ball went out, or if there were any injuries. It's normally only like 3-4 minutes.

The maximum amount of players a team is allowed to have on the field is 11, and that's including the keeper. So really there are 10 runners and one keeper. You can have a wide variety of different formations based on how you choose to play the game (defensively/offensively). The formation I chose to make the Gold-Diggers (and most teams) is a basic structure that I've played with for years. I've played soccer competitively my whole entire youth and even now that I'm older and don't play as seriously, I've always had the same formation (give or take a few games). I don't really see the international teams playing with it, but I'm going to go with it because it's what I'm used to.

The formation is similar to a 4-4-2. I also always try and keep a triangle shape with the defense.

So we normally have two strikers (Bilbo and Bofur). Their main goal is to obviously score goals and run for the loose balls. It's also important that at least one of them comes back and play a bit defensively and cover the other teams defense and prevent them from moving the ball.

Next are the right and left mid/wing (Kili and Fili). Their position involves the most running back and forth. They kind of have to be everywhere. When their team is attacking they have to be up front and trying to score with the strikers, but they also have to be back with the defenders when the ball is in their zone. It's exhausting and I don't envy anyone who does it for an entire game. They are very important to their team because I find they get just as many goals as the strikers, while still needing to be responsible enough to get back and play defense.

Now on to the center mids (Thorin and Balin). I often find the center mids to be the best players on the team. The strikers may get most of the goals, but it's probably do to the center mids getting them the ball. It's not as exhausting as playing on the wing as you remain in the middle for most of the game. IMO you can't win a game unless you can win the middle. When you think about how much play happens there you can see how important it is to have good midfielders. They are a bit like the first line of defense and your first line of offense at the same time. They control the whole game and it's not rare to have the captain of your team as a center midfielder. It's also important that they get along well and have good chemistry with the other midfielder, because so much of their game relies on when to make runs or when to switch the field, which is a lot easier if you trust your other mid will cover you.

Next is what I like to call the diamond defense, because you have a person up top, two wingers and then the person on the bottom. The person up top is what I've always called a stopper (Dwalin) you could call it center defense as well, but I prefer stopper because that's pretty much what he does. You don't really have a position on the field. Your job is just to stop the ball from getting by you. If the other team makes it by the center mids you must stop it. If the other team tries to kick the ball over the center mids, STOP IT. You are the stopper, you need to stop the other team from attacking or at least hinder them enough that your teammates can come and help. The other two defenders on the wing (Oin and Gloin) normally have their own marks but they try and help the stopper and offer support, all the while dealing with their own marks.

The other position is (as a keeper) my best friend. The sweeper (Bifur)! Called such because they pretty much just sweep away the garbage. The sweeper is your last line of defense (besides the keeper). They don't always have a mark, but a lot of what they do it get the ball after your other three defenders stop the attackers and offer support for the others to pass back to. They also are that last line of defense in case the other team makes it through everyone, but a lot of the time the sweeper just clears the ball and picks it up from the other team and plays it to their wingers or center mids. A lot of the time it just looks like the kick the ball away but it's a very important position. They have to control the entire defense and tell them where to go. They always have to offer support. I've personally had the same girl playing sweeper for me the past 5-6 years and she didn't play this summer and I noticed a HUGE difference. They HAVE to be a strong player or else your entire defense will fall apart.

The last player is the keeper (Bombur), pretty self-explanatory. The only player allowed to touch the ball with their hands (only inside the 18-yard box). It's a bit of a stereotype to put the fat person in nets. In real life that's not true. Your keeper has to be just as fit as everyone else. So much of their strength comes from their stomach and legs so they can dive far and such. You also have to be fearless because it's not easy to dive head first at a ball that's on the feet of someone running full speed. Diving into a post hurts, but you do what you have to do to stop the ball going into the net. This is not really important to the story but I'm just defending my position!

Now those are the positions I'm using for the Gold-Diggers (but those are general positions for the sport). A team normally has about 5 or so subs. The Gold-Diggers only have 3 but that's just because of how many people are in the company, in real life you would have more. In a game you are allowed to make 3 substitutions. Two of them normally get made but some teams don't like to use the third in case of an injury.

That brings me to my next point about cards. There are two different cards you can get in soccer, a red card and a yellow. Red cards are awful. If you get one in a game it's an automatic ejection and your team must then play a player down. You can't just sub that red carded player off. You must play with 10 players the rest of the game. Red cards only normally get handed out during really dirty plays or fouls that occur in the 18 yard box. Yellow cards are a bit better. They are more of a warning that you did something bad, but if you get two yellow cards in one game it's an automatic red and you are ejected. In many leagues for every two yellow cards you get you have to miss a game.

I feel I should explain what fouls are, but at this point in my life (and after watching the world cup) I don't even know anymore. Just common sense… You can't push people off the ball. You can't tackle their feet. You can't be overly rough. Stuff like that. If a tackle is particularly dirty or you hit someone you might get a card, but normally the other team just gets a free kick. You also can't touch the ball with your hands. If the ball just happens to hit your hand (ball to hand) then you don't normally get a card, but if it looks like you put your hand out to stop it (hand to ball) you normally will get a yellow card and if it happens in the 18 yard box it's normally a red. Any time you get a foul the other team gets a free kick no matter where it is on the field except for if the foul happens in the 18 yard box. If the foul happens in there the other team gets a penalty kick. The only other things about fouls you need to know is that the ref can call a call off if your team still has a big advantage. An example being if you got fouled, but the ball still ended up to your teammate and you still had a good chance, the ref would probably just play the advantage because you still have a great scoring opportunity.

If you take a shot and miss the net (or the ball just goes over the line) the other team gets a goal kick. That's when the keeper kicks the ball from his own 6 yard box. If the ball goes out through the side the other team gets a throw in. Lastly, if you kick the ball out over the line in your own zone the other team gets a corner kick, which are always dangerous.

The only other big rule is offsides, which are a bit hard to explain if you've never watched soccer. Pretty much if you are in the other teams side of the half (doesn't apply to your side of the half). You (your striker) can't just stand behind the defenders. If the play is at center half, Bilbo can't just be standing on the 18 yard box waiting for the ball. He has to stay with/on his side of the defender at the time the ball is played. So if Thorin see's Bilbo and wants to pass it to him for a breakaway, Bilbo has to be on his side of the field with the defender. As soon as the ball is played however, it's fair game, which is why it's ideal to have quick strikers as they can potentially outrun the defense and get there first. It's the same if Fili has the ball on the wing, if he wants to cross the ball in to Bofur or Bilbo, the strikers have to remain on the right side of the defense until Fili kicks it. They can't be standing behind the defense or else they are offside. It's a bit confusing and creates a lot of arguments, but it's the rules. If you don't understand it then don't worry as I don't think I'm going to be incorporating it too much in this story.

If a game is tied after 90 minutes of play then it just ends as a tie. In the playoffs you would play two 15 minute halves, although in my league it's Golden Goal, which means the second someone scores, the game is over. Compared to the world cup where even if you score in the first 5 minutes of overtime, you still need to play the other 25. If the game is still tied after two 15 minute halves then it goes into penalty kicks!

At the beginning of the game the two captains go up to the refs. The ref flips a coin and the home team gets to call out heads or tails. If he wins he gets the choice of having the ball first, or what side he wants to play on. If he loses than the other team can choose.

Also note that the little situation I have with Thorin as the captain and the coach would never really work in real life. Normally a team would have an owner, a manager and a coach. In my story Gandalf is the manager and deals with all the issues, he is technically the coach but he lets Thorin run everything and deal with the subs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, these are just some of the rules and such. I'm not sure if everything will be incorporated into my story, but it's basic information that you might want to know because I'm going to be mentioning goal kicks, and fouls. Um… any questions just feel free to ask! Also remember I will have a new chapter ready for you in the next two days (I just have to go over it a couple more times, but it's finished, so don't worry about it never appearing!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first game!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I told you I would be back with a new chapter. I don't have the next one quite done but at least it's started. Once again I don't own any of these lovely characters, if I did we would be getting more Middle-Earth movies. A big thanks goes out to Madnina (you should check out her Sherlock fics ^_^) who really helped me out of a hole with this story and read over it so it's not as appallingly bad as the other two chapters (grammar-wise). I will try to have another chapter done within the next week or so!

Today was the big day, first game of the year! Thorin always hated the first games. They were always so sloppy. No amount of practice can recreate the atmosphere and situations of a game. Last year's first game was horrible. He had a very vivid memory of Bombur letting in a shot from center field last season. That one goal was pretty much a depiction of how the rest of their season went. It was probably one of the worst seasons Thorin has ever been a part of. They only won a single game the whole year. A lot of the games were close, it wasn't like they were getting blown away, but they never got the right bounces. _This year will be different,_ he thought… trying his best to think positively.

He quietly made his way into the locker rooms. He knew he was early. He didn't expect the rest of the team to be here for another half hour, he just wanted to make sure everything was prepared. He already knew the starting lineup and formation; their warm-up was already planned. He couldn't help it. He was itching to get started.

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't see their small striker before he literally ran into him, bodies crashing together. He grunted as he heard Bilbo fall to the floor.

"Oh, Sorry!" Bilbo called out. He quickly picked himself off the ground and straightened his clothes. Thorin stood in shock. He had no idea Bilbo was here so early. He immediately shook his head.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry Bilbo. I had no idea anyone was already here. What are you doing here so early?" He asked. He then noted the appalling jumper the man was wearing, bright orange with a yellow pattern on it. This wasn't the first time he has seen Bilbo wearing brightly coloured clothes with interesting patterns on them. It looked like something his grandmother would knit. He wondered not for the first time what Bilbo did outside of football. He felt a slight pang in his stomach when he realized he didn't know much of anything of Bilbo outside of their team practices.

Bilbo quickly glanced around, his hands immediately falling into the pockets of his dark jeans. "Just nerves you know. I wasn't doing anything at home, figured I would come in early. Try to settle myself down a bit." Thorin nodded in understanding. This was Bilbo's first big game in a while. Heck, he was nervous, and he was used to playing in this league.

"You will do fine! You're a talented player Bilbo. Just keep your head up." Thinking back to running into the poor kid a moment ago he decided to tease him. "You can start now." He patted Bilbo on the shoulder before entering the room.

"Anyone else here?" He asked.

Bilbo shook his head. "I got a text from Kili saying he and Fili are on their way. I doubt it will be long before they get here." Thorin nodded. He was always very adamant that his younger players arrive early, so he was glad to hear that both Kili and Fili would be here soon. He looked back over to where Bilbo was standing.

His entire body was tense and he was fidgeting every couple seconds, unable to keep still. His hands were rotation back and forth between his belt and his pockets. Thorin's thoughts drifted back to their awkward session at the gym yesterday. He had to admit he was surprised when Bilbo showed. He expected the young striker to take the day off like the rest of the team. Instead he had shown up with every intention of doing a full workout. Of course, Bilbo's idea of a workout was running on the treadmill the whole time. That's why he was even more surprised when Bilbo started actually using a machine.

Thorin couldn't help his curiosity as he watched the small man try to use the equipment. He was glad he had watched because he had instantly been able to see Bilbo's look of confusion. He had watched with an amused smile for a moment before leaving his chest presses to help the man. Bilbo clearly had had no idea how to use the machine. That was okay. Thorin's regular job was working as a personal trainer at his family's gym, so he was used to showing people how to properly use the circuit machines. Bilbo has definitely needed help. After a quick explanation of how to properly use the machine he watched as Bilbo successfully completed a rep. By the time he was done Bilbo's face had been bright red and he was breathing heavily. Thorin couldn't help but feel proud of Bilbo. That's why he loved his job, helping people achieve their goals. Bilbo had then quickly dismissed himself, but Thorin was just happy he actually got the kid working out.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the beep of Bilbo's phone.

"Oh, Bofur is outside. I guess everyone's going to be showing up early." Bilbo said with a quick smile.

"Good, good." He said. An uncomfortable silence followed. Bilbo shrugged and started digging through his bag. He quickly found his shirt and shorts.

"Well, I'm off to get changed. See you soon!" He said as he walked towards the changing stalls. Thorin watched him leave.

"Yep." He never had trouble talking to his teammates before, but talking to Bilbo was just weird. Maybe it was just the look on his face whenever he looked at Thorin. He always looked so happy to be there. Every conversation they had ended up being awkward. He sighed once he was sure he was alone.

He noticed that Bilbo seemed nervous changing around the team. He had hoped it was just something that would change as he got more comfortable with the boys. There was nothing wrong with Bilbo wanting a little privacy, but Thorin had hoped that after a couple of weeks he would be able to trust the other guys enough. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Bilbo wouldn't even change shirts around them.

"HEY!" He was startled out of his thoughts as he quickly turned to see Bofur walking through the doors.

"Hey man, ready for a big game?" He asked.

"I was born ready! I'm telling ya. I'm feeling it this year!" Bofur responded. His statement would sound a lot better had he not said the exact same things last year, but Thorin wasn't going to burst his bubble. Perhaps this _was_ the year.

"Yes. Just remember to get your body over the ball." Bofur rolled his eyes at this. He knew it was basic elementary information, but Bofur still had trouble hitting the net. Perhaps going back to basics would help him. It certainly couldn't hurt.

"Yes Captain!" Bofur said with a hint or sarcasm.

Thorin looked at his watch. It was almost time to start putting his gear on. He could hear the unmistakable sounds of Kili, Fili and Nori making their way down the hall. Fili and Kili were always loud and whenever they got together with Nori they were even louder. He would have to talk to them about entering the stadium respectably.

He quietly started changing into his shorts and jersey. He couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach. He just really hoped that this year would finally be different.

* * *

"Alright guys. They have first ball and we have this end." He said as he pointed to the end they were on. He had actually won the coin toss and instead of taking first ball he chose to play on the right side. He wasn't normally superstitious, but he always felt better playing the first half on the right side.

"Starting lineup is Bilbo and Bofur as strikers. Kili on the left wing, Fili on the right. Myself and Balin are in the middle. Dwalin you play stopper. Oin and Gloin play defence and Bifur you play sweeper. Bombur in nets. Ori, Dori and Nori will be our subs." Gandalf has already told everyone the starting lineup, and it was pretty obvious from the start, but Thorin just wanted to make sure.

"Now remember guys. We have to use our speed against these guys. Keep the ball on the ground and play it to the wings. Remember we have ourselves a new striker," He quickly pointed to Bilbo. "He's probably the fastest player in the league so no ball is a bad ball alright?"

"Right!" he heard from the majority of the team.

"Alrighty! Let get this game started!" Bofur said. He quickly ruffled Bilbo's already messy hair before running off onto the field. The rest of the team quickly followed. He caught the young striker's eye as everyone was taking their respected spots on the field.

"Hey Bilbo?" The poor kid looked like a nervous wreck. He was fidgeting all over the place before warm up and he even seemed a bit off during their drills. Bilbo looked him in the eye but didn't say anything.

"Just relax." Bilbo gave him a quick nod before during to look the other way. The other team was already on the field and ready. The stadium was loud and packed. It normally was for the first few games of the season. It was only once they started losing that they lost their fans.

The Eagles were wearing their white kits while Thorin and the rest of his team were wearing their customary black and gold jerseys. He quickly readjusted his white captain's badge so it fit properly on his shoulder. He took a lot of pride being captain of this team. He was lucky to have Gandalf as his coach as the older man pretty much let Thorin run the team as he liked. He only interjected when he thought there was a real issue with the team, and now that Dain was gone that was very rare.

He was brought out of his thoughts as the whistle was blown and the game started.

* * *

The first twenty minutes was pretty back and forth, neither team asserting themselves as the one to beat. Thorin was just glad they weren't behind already. The Eagles did have one good opportunity when one of their midfielders was able to slip the ball past Bifur. He was on a clear break, but in a surprising act of aggressiveness, Bombur was able to slide out and get to the ball before their striker.

The Gold-Diggers only good chance had come when Bofur was able to spring Kili on a partial break. Kili had beaten the defender but unfortunately had kicked the ball a bit too far ahead and the keeper managed to get to it before him. That was over eight minutes ago. Not much else has happened since. Drifting out of his thoughts he saw Gloin get ready for a throw.

He quickly clapped his hands and called for the ball as he got into better position for their throw. Gloin saw him and managed to deliver a perfect ball. They were still in their half of the field so Thorin quickly turned with the ball. He had a few seconds before The Eagles midfielder would reach him. He looked forward and saw Bilbo was ready to make a run through the defense. He took a quick step before calling for Bilbo to run. He then lobbed the ball right before the defender challenged him.

Just as he planned the ball flew over the defender's head. Bilbo had already been running full speed and was easily able to pass the defense and catch up to the bouncing ball. He watched as Bilbo sprinted into the offensive zone. _Christ, the kid was fast_! There was no competition as he easily widened the gap between himself and the closest defender. Now it was only him and the keeper as he entered the eighteen yard box.

Bilbo quickly turned left just as the keeper challenged him, successfully beating him. He had a wide open net. Thorin was practically ready to swarm their striker for his first goal. Unfortunately almost as soon as Bilbo kicked the ball he could tell it would not be hitting the net.

Bilbo was aiming for the far right side and his kick missed the net by at least a foot. Almost as soon as the ball left his feet he saw Bilbo automatically turn around and stomp his foot it the ground while he grabbed at his hair with his hands. He knew he had missed a golden opportunity to score.

Thorin was almost in shock. In all the practices, Bilbo rarely ever missed the net. He saw Bofur run up to give Bilbo a pat on the back as the keeper got ready to kick the ball back into play. Thorin had to admit it was a great run by Bilbo. It was unfortunate that he missed the net, but it wasn't the end of the world. There was still plenty of time left.

"Head up Bilbo, that was a great run…" He said as he slowly took his position for the goal kick. Bilbo gave him a quick nod before turning to face the keeper, but Thorin could tell he was disappointed.

The rest of the half was uneventful, neither team being able to assert themselves as a clear cut winner. After Bilbo's missed breakaway the Gold-Diggers hadn't had any other chances. The Eagles managed to get a good chance off a corner kick, as their striker was able to land a header to the ball before Dwalin could get to it, but luckily the ball just sailed over the outside of the post. Needless to say, by the time the whistle blew for half, Thorin was more than ready for a break.

He waited for everyone to get back into the locker rooms, all of them drinking heavily from their water bottles. The atmosphere in the room was rather sullen. After weeks of training and practices it's you're always expecting everything to automatically go right in the first game, Thorin knew better, but he still caught some of the upset glances from some of the younger players. None of them was looking nearly as gloomy as Bilbo. The poor kid looked absolutely distraught. He waited for most of the team to catch their breath before he took his spot near the center of the room.

"That was an okay half guys. Not amazing, but for our first game of the year it was alright." Thorin thought it was always good to start with positives. He didn't want to anger anyone too early, especially as it was the first game. He looked over to where Bifur, Oin and Gloin were.

"Oin, number nine is really fast. He's been beating you down the line several times. If you can't keep up with him we can switch you with Gloin to go to the other side. We will see what it's like after ten minutes, but if he is still beating you, then we will have you two switch sides alright?" He watched as Oin nodded before he turned to look at Bifur.

"You've got to do a better job offering them support Bifur; let them know when there is a man on them and try to open yourself up more for a pass. You're doing alright now, but there were a couple times when it looked confused back there and they almost ended up scoring… You've gotta keep the shape." Bifur gave his usual grunt of acknowledgement. Thorin was used to it. Bifur could barely speak English. Despite being related to Bofur and Bombur he spent the majority of his time living in Iceland. He only returned for the football season. He sustained a head injury almost ten years ago while working and since then he has not been able to speak English. He could understand it and say a few words and phrases, but he mostly spoke Icelandic and had Bombur or Bofur translate. On the field he was actually quite a strong sweeper, and had no problem directing traffic around the net using hand gestures.

"Besides those two things, you guys are doing great back there. Good early save Bombur!" He said as he smiled. He didn't want to mention that had Bombur let that goal in, the potential for the entire team to fall apart was high. They needed a lead! He turned his head to look at their midfielders.

"You guys are doing great in the middle too. Let's just try and communicate a bit more with the defense. Wingers make sure you are coming back." He looked over to where Kili was fiddling with the top of his water bottle. "You had a good run earlier Kili. I'd like to see more of that. You too Fili!" He said as he looked to his other cousin. "If you guys can make a run, don't be scared to. Myself or Balin will cover back for you." Fili smiled at that. In past years he had always been eager to join in with the rush and completely forget about his mark. Thorin had always hounded him about playing both sides of the field and he had vowed to be better this year.

He then turned around to look at the littlest member of their team, who was curling in on himself despite the fact that Bofur had an arm around his shoulder. He seriously had to have a talk with Bilbo about his confidence levels. It wouldn't do well for him looking like a kicked puppy every time he missed a scoring opportunity.

"Strikers are doing great too. You're making really nice passes Bofur, and you had a really good run too Bilbo. We gotta see more of that. Use our speed to our advantage. Their defense are big, but they're not that fast. Both of you should be able to beat them one on one. If not then, make sure you are looking for your wingers to help." He then turned to the rest of the room.

"Overall I think we are doing okay. Fix those little things and the rest will come. It's the first game of the season. Let's end it on a good, strong note alright?" He heard the collective roar from the rest of the team as they raised their hands in the air. Hopefully this good cheer would result in them netting some goals.

He looked over to see that Bilbo was still looking upset. He tried to withhold his sigh as he grabbed his water bottle. He slowly made his way over to where the young striker was sulking.

"Do you have a minute, Bilbo?" He said as he gestured to the showers and changing stalls. Bilbo tilted his head up and if anything he looked more distraught then before. He seemed to fumble with his water for a moment.

"Um yeah…." He spared a glance to make sure Bilbo was coming before he headed to the showers. He waited for the kid to enter the room before he closed the door. He was about to ask Bilbo if he was okay, but almost as soon as the door shut Bilbo exploded.

"I'm sorry I messed that chance up! I'm sorry. It was a really, really nice pass and I thought shooting it to the far corner would be nice!"

"Bilbo-"He tried to interrupt.

"I know I should have shot it to the middle. I mean the keeper wasn't even in the net. I don't know why I tried to go for the pretty goal I-"

"It's alright!" he tried to stop him but the poor kid was frantic.

"I know I should have scored. I'm sorry. I will do better next time Mr. Oakensheild. Please don't kick me off the team sir! I promise I will do better next time. Just don't kick me off the team! I really-"

"BILBO!" He raised his voice which seemed to stop Bilbo from rambling. The small striker's face was red and he looked as though he was about to cry.

"Who told you that you were going to be kick off the team for missing a shot?" He asked. Bilbo immediately looked down to his cleats.

"Well, no one, but I figured you didn't want me here anyways so it was pretty much a given if I didn't score that you wouldn't want to keep me. You can make Dori play striker…" He said as he crossed his arms over his chest and shuffled his feet back and forth. Thorin sighed and bent down to place his hands on Bilbo's shoulders. He was once again reminded of how frail the striker was as he could almost feel his bones though his skin. He wanted to shake some sense into the kid but he was honestly scared he would hurt him.

"Bilbo, listen. I'm the captain and I would never kick anyone off the team for missing a shot. If I did that then I would hardly have a team would I?" He tried to make a small joke to cheer Bilbo up, but it seemed to fall flat as Bilbo just seemed to stress more.

"You're a great striker Bilbo. One of the best I've ever seen. I'm not going to kick you off the team for ANY reason, much less for missing the net on an opportunity that you pretty much created yourself." Bilbo seemed to look up at that, a small smile almost made it to his face.

"So… you won't be kicking me off the team?" He asked timidly, looking Thorin in the eye.

"Of course not! You're here to stay Bilbo. You're not going to get kicked off the team for missing any opportunities. It would be best to get that into your head now. I can't have you sulking around every time you miss the net." He tried to keep his voice even and stern. While he wanted to make Bilbo feel comfortable he also wanted to address the fact that Bilbo was forcing himself in a rut early on because he missed the net.

Bilbo seemed to understand what he was saying as he nodded his head and stood up straighter.

"Sorry sir. I just thought for sure I was being kicked off the team and I mean, I really like you guys. You've all been really nice and I didn't want you all to hate me and-"

"You can relax Bilbo!" This conversation was getting repetitive. He had no idea Bilbo was this nervous before the game. He had assumed the kid had the regular pre-game/ first game of the season jitters. This was something else entirely.

"You're on the team. No one is going to kick you off. I just need you to relax and get back to playing your game." He spared a glance at the clock. They didn't have much more time left. He hoped this would help the young striker.

"Yes sir." Again with the sir? Was Thorin really that intimidating? This wasn't the first time Bilbo had referred to him as it.

"Enough with the sir, Bilbo! Just Thorin, I'm your captain, not your commanding officer." Although he had to admit he felt like a commanding officer at some of those fitness practises. He couldn't help it. Bilbo just looked nervous and nodded.

"Yes s- Uh Thorin."

"Good, now let's get back to the team. We've got a game to win!

* * *

 _Breathe in, breathe out._ That's what he kept telling himself. He couldn't get over how nervous he was. It wasn't as if this was his first big game. He has played in many before, but this was his first one starting, his first one with Thorin. He didn't know what it was about the man, but Bilbo has a huge urge to not let the other man down. For the first time in years he has been given an opportunity to be a starter on a big club, it was all because of Thorin. Thorin believed in him.

He slowly made his way onto the pitch for the second half, he knew he was over-reacting during his conversation with Thorin at half, but he was so used to having one chance to score. One chance to show everyone that despite his stature he was a great player, he could do this. All the other teams he has played for would bench him after missing the open net like that. He was glad to see that Thorin was different.

 _Maybe they didn't have anyone better?_ Bilbo had observed the other striker, Dori in the practices. Dori was shorter than Bofur but he was quite sturdily built, so what he lacked in height he made up for in weight. Bilbo didn't necessarily think that was a good trait for a striker. Sure Dori was one of the stronger players on the team, but in Bilbo's opinion strikers should be light and quick. Even Bofur, who was quite tall, had a lean build.

He looked over to Bofur to see him smiling. The man always had a smile on his face. Bilbo really liked him.

"Just be patient. You will get one this half, yeah?" He asked and he brought his hand over in a now familiar gesture as he ruffled Bilbo's hair. Originally Bilbo hated it when he did it, he did not particularly like to be touched, and he found his hair was messy enough as it was, but he slowly learned that Bofur wasn't doing it to hurt him, it was a general sign of affection and slowly Bilbo learned to not hate the gesture as much, even if was it slightly embarrassing.

"Yeah..." He replied as they made their way to the center of the field. When he finally felt relaxed enough he played the ball over to Bofur and they started the second half. Much like the first half both teams were playing rather defensive. It was agreed earlier during the practices that Bofur would be more of a defending striker, and go back and help the defence when needed, while Bilbo would always stay up front. He wasn't sure if that was quite the best idea, as Bofur was not the fastest player and was not very good defensively. Bilbo thought he would probably be better, but he didn't dare question Thorin. He would do his job to stay up near half and try to get as many loose balls as he could.

Besides being the first game of the year it was also Bilbo's first real time to watch Thorin playing. Thorin normally ran all the practices, so Bilbo never really got to see him in action, but he had observed the other man the entire first half and he was quite impressed. Balin had not been lying when he said Thorin was one of the best midfielders in the league. He used his size and his strength to win tackles and often all his passes were pitch perfect, he also seemed to have good chemistry with Balin, his other midfielder, and they played off each other well.

Despite the game being fairly even, The Eagles had more chances than them. They had not managed any decent chances on goal, but they maintained possession. The Gold-Diggers finally broke the chain of possession when Dwalin managed to win the ball just outside their 18-yeard box. He managed to make a great pass to Kili who was already cheating a bit and was way behind his defender. Bilbo took this as his queue to run as fast as he could while staying onside. He could hear the fans cheering as he ran, he knew they had an odd man break. Kili managed to run the ball down most of the field and into The Eagles 18 yard box. Bilbo made brief eye-contact with him before stopping just a few feet into the box. His defender had not anticipated him stopping, and before he could get back to Bilbo, Kili delivered one of his perfect passes that landed right on Bilbo's boot.

Bilbo didn't even think twice about it. He didn't even take the time to take a touch before he blasted the ball as hard as he could right into the near corner of the net. The Eagles keeper dove but could not get to it in time. The stadium erupted and before Bilbo even had time to realize he scored he felt hands on his hips lifting him up. He gasped and looked down to see Bofur had lifted him up by his waist.

"Bilbo you scored! That was awesome!" He then felt the force of Kili and Fili both coming in to give him a small bear hug despite the fact he was still in Bofur's arms.

"Awesome shot Bilbo!" Fili said.

"Yeah, awesome shot! Their keeper dove and still didn't get it!" He heard Kili say.

"Oh, uh thanks guys. That was a great pass Kili," He said as Bofur finally let him down (not without a little ruffle of his hair) so he could join the rest of his team.

"Passing is easy, it's all in the finish!" Kili laughed "Seriously man! That was an amazing shot!" Bilbo couldn't help but smile back. He wasn't used to receiving such praise from anyone, much less his teammates. His smiled faded when he noticed a stern-looking Thorin walking towards him. He braced himself to be brought down from this new high. He was certainly not expecting the hard looking face to morph into a beautiful smile.

"That was a great shot Bilbo" Thorin said as he placed his right hand on Bilbo's shoulder to congratulate him. He then turned his head to look back at Kili. "That was a great run too, Kili. Good breakout. Good job everyone!" He addressed the rest of the team who had come over to congratulate Bilbo on scoring. They were making their way back to the center of the field to start up again but Bilbo was very aware of how Thorin's hand still lingered on his shoulder. It only left when they got back into their half and Thorin went back to his own position but Bilbo could still feel the warmth of it through his jersey. Scoring that goal was the best thing that has happened to him in a long time.

The Gold-Diggers were revitalized by Bilbo's goal as they started playing a great deal better after. The Eagles could barely string two passes together before they were stopped by one of the Gold-Diggers defense. Bilbo himself was playing with a lot more confidence. He felt as though he had the monkey off his back after getting his first goal and he was desperate to recreate that feeling again.

Their second goal came not long after the first. Bilbo saw Thorin running through the middle of the field with the ball. With a quick look to his left he called for it.

"Thorin!"

Thorin saw him and within a few seconds the ball was at Bilbo's feet. He could feel that had a defender on his back so he pulled all his weight to the right before quickly moving to his left. The defender was quickly fooled by Bilbo's fake and completely fell over his feet. Bilbo was able to turn past him. Once he was clear of that defender he ran as fast as he could with the ball, the last defender to beat was quite fast as well and was able to keep up with Bilbo's pace. Bilbo carried the ball slightly to the left. He could see the keeper was getting ready to challenge him. He waited for the keeper to take a few steps forward to completely commit to him. Just as he reached the 18 yard box he saw the keeper move. Then, while still in motion he brought all his weight to the left, as if he was about to sprint by the keeper, but instead of taking the ball he passed it using the side of his right foot. The ball landed on the foot of a completely open Bofur. Not a single defender had picked up Bofur running with Bilbo, they were all too busy trying to catch up to the speedy striker. Bofur had a wide open net and even he couldn't miss from there. Bilbo watched from the side as Bofur easily kicked the ball into the open net.

Once again the crowd erupted in cheers and Bofur jumped into the air in joy as soon as the ball crossed the line. Bilbo quickly made his way over to his cheering teammate. He was surprised when Bofur enveloped him into a large bear hug.

"Oh my gosh! That was such a nice pass Bilbo! I can't believe you saw me!" Bilbo couldn't help but blush at Bofur's compliment. He didn't really think the pass was that great, they were just lucky no one saw Bofur running in with him.

"Oh, I mean it wasn't amazing… You did a good job running down with my and getting yourself into position. I can't believe none of them picked you up." Bofur smiled again as Kili and Fili made their way into their little scrum.

"Good job guys! Great run Bilbo and an even better finish Bofur!" Fili said as he clapped Bofur on the back. The entire team was full of smiles. Bofur was one of the most likeable people on the team and it felt so great to see him get a goal. Even Thorin had a smile as they made their way to their half of the pitch.

The rest of the game went really well. The Gold-Diggers were a completely different team after Bilbo's first goal. Bilbo wasn't even sure Bombur touched the ball after his goal, in fact he didn't think the Eagles managed to make it more than a third of the way into their half before they were stopped by the Gold-Diggers defense.

They managed one more goal that half. Fili had made a great cross in from the left side that landed right to Bilbo. Similar to his first goal he was able to one time the ball right past the keeper. The cheer wasn't as loud this time, as there was only about ten minutes left and the Gold-Diggers were clearly going to win the game, but Bilbo still felt happy. He had managed two goals in one half. A lot of it had to do with how well his team was playing. He was easily able to finish the play if Kili and Fili were able to make the runs they did and have the support of the midfielders.

He had to admit he was disappointed when he heard the final whistle. He was really having a good time out there, such a difference from the first half where he was too scared he would mess up that he played pretty bad. He slowly made his way over to the other side of the field to congratulate Bombur on his shutout. Even though he didn't do too much the second half, had he not made that early save in the first half, Bilbo knew the game could have been completely different.

"Good game laddie, you really made the difference today." Balin said as he gave him a firm pat on the back. Bilbo couldn't help but smile, the entire team was ecstatic and it was only one game. The first game, they had an entire season ahead of them, surely not all games were going to be like this, so it was best to enjoy it when they could.

Once they were finished their little on field celebration, the entire team marched into their locker room to have their post-game chat. Bilbo has had his hair ruffled by practically every member on the team, he didn't want to think about how bad it probably looked at this point, besides, it was nice to feel so appreciated. As he entered the room he was greeted with the site of Gandalf, with his long walking stick and pointy hat.

"Gandalf!" He was slightly surprised to see the man, despite being the team manager Bilbo had not seen him since his original try out weeks ago. The older man pretty much let Thorin run the team and mostly only communicated through him. Bilbo had known Gandalf almost his entire life. The old man had coached his mother for years. All throughout his childhood he had memories of kicking a football around while his mother practiced, Gandalf had never seemed to mind and even let him sit on the bench for a game or two. He was originally surprised when he got the phone call from Gandalf asking him to come try out for The Gold-Diggers. He had thought his days of playing football competitively were over.

"Bilbo, my lad. I'm glad to see you are fitting in well with the team." He said with a smile. Bilbo returned the smile and reached up (always up, as Gandalf was quite a tall man) to pat him on the shoulder.

"Yes, everyone here is really nice and I think we've got a great team." Just as he said it he felt more than one sweaty jersey land on him. He quickly turned to see both Kili and Fili were shirtless. As if that wasn't enough evidence he peeled the sweaty shirts off his arm and glanced at the numbers.

"Really guys, and here I was telling Gandalf how lovely you all were…" He said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Worry not, dear Bilbo. I know how these Durin boys are!" He said as he used his cane to pick up the dirty jerseys and fling them back at the two young wingers. Bilbo just gave him a quick smile. He was about to ask Gandalf how he was doing when he heard the entire room silence as Thorin entered. Bilbo quickly took his seat next to Bofur. He watched in utter silence as Thorin stalked the room, he didn't look angry, but he certainly didn't look as elated as the rest of the team.

"That was a strong second half guys. Really well done." He turned to face their defensive core. "You guys really did well out there, you really kept us in there the first bit of the second half, especially after our first goal. You all completely shut it down. Good job!"

He then turned to the midfielders. "The same goes for you guys too, great job! Everyone kept with their marks and made good runs. That was a great run and an even better pass for the first goal there Kili, I hope we see more of that from you this season." Kili smiled. Bilbo really did think both brothers had really great potential; they just had to fine-tune their game a little bit and play a bit more defensively. If they both played as well as they did today then there was a real good chance of them finishing near the top. Both brothers were always open and getting to the loose balls. Thorin then turned towards himself and Bofur and if it was possible his smile grew.

"You guys were great! Three goals in one half, that's gotta be a record for us." He turned to face Bofur. "Way to keep up and get yourself open for that second goal It was an excellent finish!" If possible his smile grew as he turned to face Bilbo.

"That was quite a second half performance Bilbo. I daresay you are the reason we got all three goals. I can't express how happy I am you joined this team. You really made a difference and I really think with our group of guys we could do great this year." Bilbo was pretty sure he could feel his entire face turn a bright shade of red. Hopefully no one noticed, and if they did they would attribute it to him having just played 90 minutes of football, not his embarrassment of being singled out by his team captain. He was never particularly comfortable accepting compliments and hearing them come from someone he admired so much gave him a funny feeling in his stomach. Thorin's gaze lingered on him for another moment before he turned to face the rest of the team.

"I hope this is just a sign of things to come. The Eagles aren't a bad team. They aren't the best, but if we play like we did in the second half I'm sure we will have no problems keeping up with the other top tier teams, even The Dragons." The elated the team as they all started cheering. Bilbo couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. Gandalf then stepped forward.

"Yes, yes. Congratulations on your first win of the season. You are all free to celebrate responsibly tonight. You can all have tomorrow off but I expect you all at the pitch Monday morning to prepare for our game Tuesday against the Wizards. Is that clear?"

Once again the room erupted in a cheer. Bilbo noted that Thorin had taken his customary seat next to Dwalin and was now talking to the other man. Gandalf just grinned as he left the room. He wasn't out of the room for more than a minute before Nori yelled out.

"Drinks of Bofur tonight!" That got everyone cheering again. Bilbo looked over to his friend and to see that even he was smiling. Bilbo smiled too. He really liked his team. They all seemed like a friendly bunch of guys. Sometimes they were rude (Dwalin was ruthless both physically and verbally on the field) but off the field they were all pretty nice. Bofur had already invited him out several times to eat, and he was always eager to learn how Bilbo's days went (even beyond football). He didn't normally go out and socialize with the team, he was still somewhat nervous around them, but perhaps he would go out tonight. They did just win their first game of the year.

"You coming Bilbo? We were just going to head over to Beorn's for a couple of drinks." Bofur asked. Bilbo shrugged.

"Why not?" In truth he was planning on going home to water his plants and then sit down with a cup of tea and a nice book, but this was their first win. It would be good to celebrate with his new friends. He watched as Bofur's face completely lit up.

"Good on you lad! We will get some fine beer into ya tonight!" He smiled back. He has never been to Beorn's but it seemed to be the place to go after a rough practice or now even games. He was never a big drinker but after spending some time with the others he was beginning to feel drinking was just part of their post-practice/game routine. Bofur suddenly turned to face the rest of the team

"Oi, lads! Bilbo's coming out tonight!" Bofur pretty much screamed. The entire team let out a loud cheer. Bilbo was shocked. He was positive some members of the team hated him, most of them were nice but he couldn't help but feel inadequate when he didn't get the ball on time and some of them made quick comments on his size. Now looking at all their happy faces he couldn't feel more at home. He quickly glanced over to see that even Thorin was smiling. He couldn't get over how much younger the other man looked with a smile on his face. It made him look positively dashing.

"I'm uh, only going to have a few. Nothing too much." He said, suddenly worried that everyone was going to expect him to get massively drunk. He didn't want to make a fool of himself, not to mention he still had to work tomorrow.

"Oh, he says that now. Wait to you try what Beorn's got. Best beer around!" Nori shouted.

"Wait till you try his taters. Absolute heaven!" Bombur called. Taters? That did sound appealing. If there was one thing Bilbo loved more than football, it was food.

He watched as Fili and Kili made a scene of getting out of their dirty gear, throwing their shin pads at Balin and Oin, their socks at Bombur and Gloin and for once Thorin didn't yell at them. He had a smile on his face like the rest of the team. Bilbo slowly looked down to his own dirty gear. He should probably start changing at get into the showers before everyone else did. He knew based on all their previous practices just how quickly the shower stalls filled up. He felt a rough pat on his back and looked up to see Bofur smiling down at him.

"Don't worry lad, I will keep an eye on ya, make sure you stick close to me. These lot are right arseholes when drunk!" That caused another uproar in the room and Bilbo felt some dirty shin pads being thrown in their direction. Bofur quickly raised his arms in surrender.

"Okay, okay. Not all of them, just Dwalin!" Bilbo quickly glanced over to where Dwalin was seated next to Thorin. He instantly got to his feet in a serious manner.

"Why you little…."

Dwalin made his way over (intimidating as ever in Bilbo's opinion. Dwalin was one of the tallest on the team) he grabbed Bofur in what seemed like a playful rugby tackle. Bilbo quickly got out of the way as the two struggled around the room for a few moments, the rest of the team cheering them on, he couldn't help but cheer with them. It wasn't long before Bofur surrendered.

"I take it back! I take it back!" He called. Both he and Dwalin were both laughing at this point. Bilbo took this as a good opportunity to make his way to the showers.

As he made his way to the stalls he quickly spared a quick glance back at the room full of happy players. He couldn't help but grin at the cheerful faces. Now that he had his first game under his belt he felt a lot better about how the season could go, they could continue to win games like this, maybe even the whole season! Today was only one game, but it was definitely a step in the right direction!

His smile widened as he entered the stalls for his shower. He could just make out the sounds of Gloin saying something along the lines of "Little guy's going to be a right mess tomorrow if he's drinkin' with you, Bofur!"

"Don't worry. He's one of us now. I'll take care of him." That was the last thing he heard before he entered the stall. He smiled despite himself. For the first time in his life he was finally accepted on a team, and it felt wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I will work on having chapter four (or really five now) done in the next two weeks!


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